World Submission Wrestling Championships
Africa to be represented at World Submission Wrestling Championships
Legendary South African strongman Mark Robinson today announced that the African continent will for the first time be granted permission to send a team of wrestlers to compete in the coveted World Submission Wrestling Championships, due to take place in the US in May this year.
The African trials are due to take place in Randburg on the 28th of April after Robinson was given the green light by the tournament founders and organizers, the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) in Saudi Arabia. After winning the over-99kg title in 2001, Robinson dreamt of one day taking a team of African wrestlers to compete in this prestigious tournament, which attracts the top wrestlers from all over the world. Until fairly recently, the world’s top wrestlers competed in the tournament by invitation only, with the last few tournaments being open to competitors who had won their respective national trials. With relatively few Submission Wrestling clubs in existence in Africa, the continent was largely bypassed by the ADCC over the years. However, Robinson’s pedigree as a wrestler and trainer, combined with the success he has shown in promoting and organising local tournaments has resulted in an official invitation to the African continent to compete in the world championships.
The sport of Submission Wrestling has become hugely popular worldwide on the back of mixed martial arts spectacles like the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championship. Submission Wrestling is arguably the most popular style of fighting in these no-holds barred contests, which led to the establishment of the World Submission Wrestling Championships, the brainchild of Abu Dhabi royal Sheik Tahnoon in 1998. The first few tournaments were held in Abu Dhabi in front of the nation's royalty with wrestlers competing by special invitation only. Robinson was the first and only South African to have competed in the championships. Submission Wrestling is recognized is a hybrid blend of Olympic wrestling styles mixed with the techniques of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Russian Sambo and Judo. As with most wrestling disciplines, the objective of the sport is to score points for positions of dominance, with a heavy slant towards instant victory by means of ‘tapping out’ your opponent through submission techniques which place unbearable pressure and pain on the major joints. A variety of neck chokes also categorize the discipline, recognized as one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Wrestlers compete in weight classes ranging from under 65 kilograms to over 99 kilograms.
“The sport is like a game of chess,” commented Robinson, “it’s extremely physically demanding, but good submission wrestlers tend to be good strategists, exploiting weaknesses in their opponents game plan and capitalising on opportunities.” Robinson believes that there is a big future for Submission Wrestling in South Africa and intends using the upcoming African trials as a springboard for growing the sport locally. Companies and individuals who wish to become involved from a sponsorship perspective are encouraged to call Robinson on 072 202 7980.